


Amends

by Alvaerele



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Also my Pokemon headcanon is that Pokemon ages are actually different from IRL ages, And all her friends are within a 1-2 year age difference, F/M, IE: The coming of age, Moon is 18, So yes, everyone is aged up, going on 19, in this story, is more like 16-18 year olds leaving the nest, leaving home at 10 to become a trainer thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9267767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alvaerele/pseuds/Alvaerele
Summary: Moon has just recently reached her goal to become the Champion of Alola. However, she finds herself reflecting on some feelings and worries in the wake of her new success. It's time for her to be honest to others about how she feels. How she really feels.





	1. Prologue

            You find yourself oft in a state of bewilderment whenever you reflect on the past year of your life. Coming to Alola, a new placed filled with all these beautiful Pokemon. Making the best friends of your life, and incidentally having to say goodbye to your best friend Lillie. Aiding in the containment of a poisoned, dangerous soul, and helping make amends between her and her daughter. You became _Champion of Alola_ , for goodness sake. A title no-one had yet held. A title that was uniquely yours, and yours alone.

            Bewildered is the key word, of course, because while each experience you had, each memory you made, was an enriching, soulful addition to your life’s story, there were also the bizarre, and unexpected aspects. Namely, Team Skull.

            Now, you were in a position where you could safely call yourself Alola’s best trainer. You could easily have taken down Team Skull again and again if you so wished, but something about that little rag-tag team of social-rejects pulled at your heartstrings. Why kick them while they were down?

            Yes, you were empathic. Deeply empathic. You found yourself engrossed in each new person’s life and their worries. It was hard for you to find anyone unlikeable. Indeed, you had this uncanny ability to see past any negative character trait, and to understand why someone might want to steal Pokemon, or spray graffiti all over town, or even steal money from little kids training their Pokemon-

            Okay, that one is a little out of line.

            Still, that was who you were. You cared. Deeply. That was you.

            Moon, the girl with a big heart.

 

 

            And it was your task to make amends.


	2. Completion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learn more about Moon's relationships, and her desires.

            You had this big sister complex going. A pretty big one, actually. No matter who you met, your instant instinct was to fix them, help them, or console them. This was especially true for Gladion and the rest of Team Skull.

            You couldn’t explain where this instinct came from, of course. It was just so visceral to you. When Gladion first introduced himself to you, you could see a sadness behind those cold eyes. Everyone had a story they wanted to hide. But for Gladion, it was as if everything was a regret for him. He had lived knowing nothing but grief, and guilt. This is something you knew without a shadow of a doubt.

            Since meeting him, you were determined to be his friend.

            And, truthfully, the fact you two had grown so close, close enough for him to give you your own Type:Null. You nearly teared up.

            Gladion was cold to you. But to think, that you two had become friends, siblings almost, it gave you great joy. When you received his gift, you wrapped your arms around him and found solace in the embrace.

           

            This complex stretched to many others, of course. You never wanted to see Hau get hurt, and to your relief, he had the strongest resolve of anyone you knew. Such an ambitious, happy spirit. That’s what you noted about Hau. To you, Hau was the catalyst for all positivity in your life. Nothing stalled his drive to succeed. Nothing could bring him down. And even though you still felt the need to protect him, you knew, in a sense, he was the one protecting you.

            Hau was capable of making you feel better whenever you were down, the only exception being when Lillie had left you both to discover Kanto. That was a day where, no matter how hard you wanted to shed your tears and grieve the departure of a dear friend, you realised you couldn’t. That was the day, you realised, that Hau truly needed you.

            And you weren’t going to let him down.

            He spent the day with you, mostly happy and optimistic, but on the chance occasions where he did find himself breaking down again, you lent him your shoulder to cry on. That day, you knew you two were bonded for life.

 

            And Lillie.

            Lillie had your heart in your hands. You could admit that. You truly loved her more deeply than anyone else before. She had become a beacon of light in your life, being to you what you had wished to be for others. Honestly, she is probably the reason you wanted to reconnect with all the islanders you had met in the past year. Lillie was the sole reason you wanted to be a better person.

            You would miss her deeply. That much is true. And you knew the goodbye wouldn’t be the last time you saw her, but the thought of not having that presence in your life for a while cut you deep.

            Lillie made you realise how much you yearned for a little sister. Or, really, someone like her that you could grow up with.

            When you said your goodbye to her on that fateful day, you couldn’t find it within you to voice how you felt. Perhaps she didn’t feel the same. Maybe she wasn’t ready. Maybe you just didn’t know if it was a romantic or platonic love you felt. Either way, you were teeming with unexpressed emotions. Not wanting to burden your best friend on her final day in Alola, you kept those insecurities and doubts inside. Your hands cradled hers gently. You knew she could tell you were shaking. Perhaps out of her own inclination to be polite, Lillie paid it no heed. She planted a very warm kiss on your cheek and thanked you for bettering her life.

            Really, you should have thanked her.

            As she left, you felt a piece of your heart drift away with her.

            And you knew the goodbye wouldn't be the last time you saw her. But it did cut you deep.

           

            Even the elders in your life seemed to be affected by your caring nature. You wanted to protect the tradition of the Kahunas. You wanted to make proud the many captains you faced. You wanted to respect the power of Plumeria. You wanted to redeem the grunts of Team Skull. You wanted to show your mother how much you had grown.

            And ultimately, you wanted to be honest with Guzma.

            Because he was the one who you, deep down, had the most complex feelings for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actual beefy chapters coming soon. These first two were for context's sake.


	3. Plan A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to face Guzma for one last battle. You had been preparing for this moment for months, and were ready for things to go off without a hitch.

The routine that you had become accustomed to went as such:

 

  * Wake up
  * Eat breakfast with your mom
  * Discuss plans to make world a better place/become better friends and make amends
  * Go out and do number 3



 

So, according to your predetermined list, it was time for breakfast with mom.

One of the results of your year spent completing the Island Challenge, and subsequently becoming the Champion, was learning to become more of a morning person. Hau always made sure you weren’t left in the dust during the challenge, so whenever he wanted to go out and start his challenge for the day, he made sure you were there with him too. It was kind of him, but he seemed to miss the point of your name at the time.

After rising up early that morning, you let your limbs loosen up with a few routine stretches before you took a shower and got dressed. Being nimble was an underappreciated strategy for Pokemon battling. You learned being awake, well-rested, well-fed, and energized all assisted in your successes in the challenges, as well as the League.

It’s not all just strategy. It’s also self-care. You were glad you learned that early on.

You strode downstairs and gave your mom a quick peck on the cheek as she sat down with her breakfast: a bowl of Charmelios. Her favourite.

It took you no time to sit across from her at the table, spooning your own bowl of the delicious cereal into your mouth with a ravenous appetite. A quiet chuckle sounded at the other end of the table as your mom watched with glee at your carnivorous tendencies.

“So, Moon, what are your plans for the day?” she asked, standing to bring her bowl to the sink.

Between bites, you replied, “planning on the big one today.”

“Oh?”

You nodded, slurping up the Moomoo milk at the bottom of the bowl. Wasting no time, you brought it up to her. She grabbed the bowl and put it under the running water. She always preferred to do the dishes, despite your many attempts to offer a hand. At some point you conceded she was a neat freak, and you would find another way to help her around the house.

“So, the big one,” she continued, voice growing louder to fight the sound of the constant rush of running water. “Isn’t that that one boy, what’s his name, Guzma?”

“I don’t know why you call him a boy, he’s practically your age,” you mutter.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she laughed. “Thinking I look that young…”

It wasn’t hard to find your mom fun. She really was your first friend. She’ll always mean a lot to you: she gave you so much freedom of choice in your life, and knew exactly how to balance your safety and your desire to go explore the world.

“Mom, you don’t look a day over 18,” you chirped. The older woman only laughed.

“Well, if you’re done charming me up, you might wanna head out soon.” Flicking the tap off, she dried her hands of water and checked the time on her watch. “I believe it’ll rain later today. So enjoy the sun while it lasts.”

You nodded hurriedly, as you gathered up your jacket, your purse, and your team into your bag. You nodded a goodbye to your mom, and set out for the day. As you left, she yelled another “good luck!” to you. You were on your way to the beach.

 

It was planned earlier that you and Guzma would have one last match. You had to admit, you were pretty excited to see him again. You couldn’t explain why, but over the few months you and him had been feuding, his outbursts and heckling just made you laugh. You stopped taking him so seriously when you realized he was just a big goof. An idiot at times, yes, and possibly harbouring a deep-seated anger issue, sure, but a goof deep down. A goof you wanted to know better.

The circumstances, as they were, weren’t in your favour in that endeavor. If you wanted to see Guzma, the opportunities were few and far-between. Not to mention, all instances where you did get to meet him again were stifled of all whimsy when you realised he was going down a path worse than the one he was already on.

That’s when the incident with Lusamine occurred.

You had come to realise that Guzma had demons. Demons that had been haunting him his whole life. After rescuing everyone from the Nihilegos, you made it your mission to get through to him. Whatever it would take, you wanted to be honest about how you felt about him.

And how you felt was guilt.

At some point during your battles a realization hit you: Guzma didn’t handle loss well. You would always beat him, and he would always break down. A worrying habit of his: beating himself down, pulling at his hair, seemingly losing himself for a minute as the failure settles down inside him.

The first time it happened, you didn’t think anything of it. Hey, maybe the guy was a kook? But when it kept happening, it started wearing you down. You blamed yourself for making him hurt himself. You blamed yourself for not just letting him win. In the long run, what mattered more, proving how good a trainer you were, or letting a broken man feel triumphant about himself?

You of course explored the idea of letting him win. At some point it hit you that a false victory would just piss him off. If he could tell you were holding back, that may have a worse effect on him than just beating him no holds barred.

So that’s when you got to thinking: how could you convincingly be bested by Guzma? You were a legendary trainer, you knew all the primary and secondary types of each Pokemon, you had filled your Pokedex completely, and you had fully trained most of your team. It would honestly be a miracle if Guzma beat you of his own accord. So: how would you fake it?

Your plan was to only use grass-types. Guzma would just think you weren’t fully prepared, not actually sabotaging yourself by limiting yourself to Pokemon who are intrinsically weak against his team. So, you set out with your darling Decidueye, (who you had promised many, many rainbow Pokebeans to if he would take one faint for the team), Fomantis, Phantump, Bellossom, and Petilil.

You had dedicated the better part of a week training them and building their friendship. It honestly hurt you to know you would be sending them to their demise, but, hey, Pokecenters exist for a reason, don’t they? Anyway, you were very clear with each and every one of them how deeply you loved them and how you would shower them with gifts after this fight was over.

After hitching a flight on your favourite Charizard, you landed nearby the beach Guzma and you agreed on meeting at. This was it: your, hopefully, last battle with Guzma.

And you were going to be damn sure he won it.

Once you had reached the stairway leading to the beach, you quickly changed out of your trainer sneakers and into some flip-flops. Additionally, you took off your t-shirt, baring your swimsuit top, and wrapped a loose cardigan around your shoulders. And finally, you donned a sun hat, and made your descent to the shoreline: decked out like a beach babe. (Though, truthfully, you just couldn’t handle the heat well.)

In proper Guzma fashion, he had chosen the clandestine nook between the grassy overlook and the second beach stairwell. The one spot on the beach with little light, no people, and the most alike a crime scene. It was the beach equivalent of an abandoned alleyway with a flickering streetlamp.

Ugh.

As you approached him, you noticed he was swaying anxiously in place, clearly agitated for having been kept waiting.

“Hello, Guzma,” you said with a smile, approaching the box-dyed punk. Raising an eyebrow, he groaned. It was as if your mere presence was an inconvenience. But, sigh, you had to be nice to Mr. Dreamboat Guzma today.

“So you showed up,” muttered the Team Skull boss. He leaned closer to you, matching your eye line more clearly, (as well as pissing you off for demonstrating your annoying height gap). “Well, Moon, it’s time to battle your boy!”

A crooked smile appeared on his face. It was really hard to stay mad at that goofy grin, especially when you took zero percent of his threats seriously. However, you stayed motivated: you _were_ going to be a good person today.

With equal enthusiasm, you replied, “Here I come!” (God, that was cheesy).

That’s when a look of severity crossed the man’s face. He took one step closer to you, and under his breath, he growled, “This is to make up for when I had to disband Team Skull! And just so you know, I’ll never change.”

You nearly broke character at that. To be fair, Guzma’s cruelty came off as comedy, as the shenanigans of a man-child who everyone knows couldn’t do any real harm. But every once in a while, he does something that shakes you to your very core, and you have to admit that he is capable of more than you know. Or would like to know. Still, you pressed on, resolve stronger than ever.

You simply smiled back. Without really reacting, Guzma backed up and continued in a more appropriate tone for the goof you like to think he is.

“Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form – it’s your boy Guzma!”

And so the battle commenced.

 

“Oh, come, _ON_!” barked the man as you released your Fomantis. “You can’t be serious? This is the third grass type in a row!”

You were sweating bullets, Guzma completely blindsided you by using some reason and critical-thinking skills during your heated battle, and figured out that you were intentionally pulling a losing team. When Fomantis entered the battle, announcing her arrival with the most adorable chirp you had ever heard, Guzma lost it.

“I know you switched teams, Moon. Don’t try to play with me,” he growled.

You huffed, your eyes watering as you shakily reached into your Pokedex and typed in “Fomantis”.

“Aw, jeez, what do you know, Fomantis is a grass-type! Haha! Golly gee, gee golly, egg in my face, right?” You turned to your rival to see if he was buying it. When you met his gaze, you cowered under its ire. “Well, n-no matter! I have my trusty Decidueye still, who can counter at least one of your Pokemon! Ahaha!”

Guzma fell to his knees, almost shaking with anger. Or, maybe, was he…?

Once the sound registered in your ears, your face turned beet red. He was _laughing_.

“ _Heeeeey!_ ” you whimpered, almost crying from embarrassment. “Take me seriously, I’m the champion of Alola!”

He was rolling on the ground now. This is just sad.

“Why is this so funny to you?” you demanded, running up to him and kneeling beside his clearly seizing body.

“Kid, I can’t believe you thought this was a good idea. I mean, _letting me win_? I would beat you down.”

Everything was going wrong. You had the whole scenario scripted in your head for months, _Guzma would win. You’d admit to him your feelings of guilt for ever having beat him in the first place. He would cry, maybe you’d hug, who knows, if he was feeling it, you’d be feeling it. Just if a hug was in the mood of things, yes, you’d hug. You would be his rock, you’d fix him, make him happy again. Maybe, be friends?_

You started to get teary-eyed. Those dreams were gone now. Gone forever.

Guzma noticed you retreat back into yourself, hugging your knees to your chest as you stared emptily into the lapping waves. His theatrics began to settle down, and he got to his knees in front of you.

“Kid? Hey, hey – kid!” He snapped his fingers in front of you, but you just batted his hand away.

“This is not at all how I wanted this to go,” you whispered. “I just wanted you to beat me. Just once. Because it seemed to matter to you a lot whenever you lost.”

Getting to your feet, you kicked at a stone in the sand, watching it fly helplessly into the ocean. “I guess it was a stupid idea,” you pouted.

Guzma got to his feet as well, looming over you as he always did, maintaining a judgmental gaze at all times.

“Yeah, you’re pretty stupid, kid.”

You jabbed your elbow into him. He barely flinched.

“I mean, I could’ve beat you down _so easy_ if you had just let me. No effort at all. But you went and ruined the whole thing by insisting on belittling my intelligence. I mean, seriously Moon, _all Grass-type?_ ”

“You know what belittle means?” you asked, lazily meeting his gaze.

“I will fucking step on you,” he barked back.

“I still beat the Island Challenge, bucko. Not to mention, beat your ass three times.”

Guzma backed away, fuming. “The Island Challenge is child’s play. I’d be embarrassed to beat it.”

A small chuckle slipped through your lips. He’s really that defensive, huh? And you thought you could fix his entire life with one Pokemon battle. Oh, the naivety.

“Kids shouldn’t cuss anyway. It’s gross,” he glowered at you.

“Fuck off, old man.” Getting to your knees, you collected the two Pokemon of yours who did faint, and gave Fomantis a tender pet on the head. She had done so well. She would be getting a lot of pokebeans later. After chirping happily at your touch, Fomantis went back into her pokeball. You gathered a few other things, and got back to your feet. You extended a hand to Guzma.

“I’m sorry I ruined this battle. I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea. But if you really want to get your beating, I’ll wait here for you tomorrow. Let’s see who really is the better trainer.”

Guzma watched your hand incredulously.

“Come on, Guzma. Just shake it. Ever try being nice to someone before?”

“Yeah, once. It sucked.”

You scoffed and grabbed his hand by force. After initiating the shake, you let go of his hand when you could tell he had his fill of amicability for a decade.

“See you later, Guzma.” You were on your way, waving behind you as you made your way to the nearest Pokecenter.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Playing throughout Pokemon Sun, I realised how much I enjoyed so many of the characters, and how I wish my character could have been more involved with them. A lot of my hidden desires to be a friend to everyone in-game is what made this story come to be.


End file.
